Gas giant exoplanet has clouds made of vaporized jewels.
When you consider how vast the Universe really is, then the possibilities for various scenarios and extreme or just weird conditions on planets are likely to be discovered by scientists. One such strange discovery is that of a giant exoplanet with extreme weather conditions and clouds made of vaporized jewels.
Scientists analyzing data provided by NASA’s Kepler space telescope have discovered a huge alien planet. What makes it particularly interesting is that it has powerful winds consisting in bright clouds made from various types of vaporized jewels formed due to the high temperatures.
The exoplanet named HAT-P-7b has been under extensive observation between 2009 and 2013. Scientists conducted several studies regarding the strange conditions of the planet and determined that it is 40 percent bigger than Jupiter while being around 1,040 light-years away from Earth. Researchers observed that the planet completes a trip around its star every 2.2 Earth-days and has an average temperature of 4,180 degrees Celsius.
A fascinating aspect of the exoplanet is its clouds. They are mainly composed of corundum which is a material that forms sapphires and rubies. Corundum is also a colorless material which condenses at temperatures found on the day side of the planet. However, scientists are more excited that they have discovered another gas giant with weather outside our solar system.
The lead author of the study, David Armstrong, from the University of Warwick, England has stated that their results show how strong winds circle around the planet and transport its unique clouds to the day side from its night side. The speeds of the winds can change dramatically which leads to huge cloud formations that eventually dissipate. This phenomenon is what causes the high brightness of the planet which can be visually stunning when viewed from up close.
Based on the amount of light reflected over time, scientists determined that the exoplanet presents evidence of an atmosphere. However, since the planet is just a gas giant it does not have any land which makes it unsuitable for human exploration in the future. The scientists’ study was published in the journal Nature Astronomy on December 12, 2016.
What do you think about the discovery of this planet with clouds of vaporized jewels?
Image credit: University of Warwick
